The Night They Couldn't Forget
by TheTrueMrsEdmundPevensie
Summary: When Draco and Hermione dance at the Yule Ball, it stirs up some feelings that have been buried deep down for quite a while. Question is; will they act on them? Title says it all, cause it kinda turns their world around! haha Read&review!


The Great Hall was filled with beautiful lights and wondrous decorations. The tables were pushed aside to create a dance floor, the actual floor so polished that it looked like ice. And there was brilliant Christmas tree where the staff table usually sat. Yes, everything looked absolutely magnificent. And for good reason. That night was the Yule Ball.

On the stage, set only for that night, the Weird Sisters were setting up. They were the musical entertainment for the night, and a crowd favorite all across the wizarding world. All the while the teachers chatted, waiting for the doors to open and the students to start pouring in.

Outside the grand doors, students were grouped together and waiting for them to open as well. This was a much anticipated night for everyone, that was a fact.

Suddenly, by magic, they opened. The girls walked in with their dates, smiling and meeting up with one another. After a while the Great Hall was packed.

"Come _on_, Draco!" Pansy whined as she pulled the Malfoy up the stairs, just outside of the temporary ballroom.

"I'm coming!" Draco replied irritably. He really didn't want to go with Pansy Parkinson of all people, but what choice did he have? She was Slytherin, he had to show up with a date, and she absolutely adored him. He figured it was really just logical.

"Oy, Malfoy!" Crabbe called over as soon as Draco was at the top step, Pansy clinging to his arm. They walked over to Crabbe and his date, standing next to Goyle and his date. How they managed to get dates, the world may never know.

Pansy started talking with the other dates, while Draco stood with his cronies. "This is going to be a long night." He muttered, making Crabbe and Goyle nod in agreement.

The group eventually made their way into the Hall, where the girls 'oohed' and 'awed' at the decorations. Draco just rolled his eyes at how immature Pansy was.

Suddenly there was a horn, signaling the champions of The Tri-Wizard Tournament to walk in with their dates. The crowd by the doors parted so they could walk through, and so all eyes would be on them.

Draco really didn't want to see Harry being praised, yet again. And his plan was just to hang out with Viktor Krum and his date the whole night.

"I wonder who Krum is taking." Goyle said, nudging Draco. Draco just shrugged and turned back to the double doors, waiting for that question to be answered.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, the champions of this year's Tri-Wizard Tournament!" Professor Flitwick called out. The theme music started to play and in walked the champions.

But as soon as Draco saw who was on Krum's arm, his eyes nearly bulged out of his head. It was Hermione Granger. And she looked…beautiful.

_~0~0~0~0~_

"Whoa. Mudblood Granger? That's who he's taking?" Crabbe asked to no one in particular, obviously in disbelief. But Draco wasn't paying attention. His eyes were glued to Hermione.

She looked beautiful. No, she looked stunning. Draco had never seen anyone or anything as gorgeous as she was tonight. And he was probably not the only one who thought that.

Suddenly he jumped back to reality when he felt a tug on his arm. He looked over to see Pansy, dragging him to the dance floor. "_Oh yeah, dancing_." He thought as she led him through the crowd.

They finally made it and went into position, dancing away. But the whole time he watched Hermione, and how she so easily moved across the floor with Krum. He even stepped on Pansy's foot once or twice. But he couldn't care less.

The music stopped and Pansy looked at him with anger in her eyes. "Draco!" she practically yelled, pulling him out of his trance again.

"What?" he snapped.

"Why were you so distracted during the dance? Were you looking at another girl?"

"What? No. Merlin Pansy, stop freaking out and have a good time! I'm only here because of you!"

At this, her face lightened and her eyes looked at him adoringly. "Really? That's so sweet!" She said before wrapping her arms around him, causing him to groan. He didn't mean it in _that_ way, but apparently she took it as such. Well, at least she wasn't yelling at him anymore. But now she was squeezing him like he was a giant stuffed animal. And he did not like it one bit.

"Pansy, get off." He said, somehow managing to pull out of her grip.

"Sorry." She giggled. But as soon as she said that, another couple came up to them.

"Draco." Krum's deep voice said. Draco turned to come face to face with the Bulgarian Quidditch player, and his date. "Pleasant evening, isn't it?"

"Yes, very." Draco replied. They had an interesting relationship. They weren't exactly friends, but they occasionally talked. Although, suddenly Crabbe and Goyle came up and started talking Viktor's ear off.

Draco took this as a chance to glance at Hermione. She was currently looking away, admiring the decorations as well as everyone else. She, unlike Pansy's girlish squeals, did it much more dignified.

But he then heard Pansy, causing him to look over. "Oh, I love this song! Come on Draco!"

"You go on." He brushed her off, in which she just shrugged and followed her friends. He just wanted to stay back with the guys, and maybe even Hermione. And he had no idea why.

Suddenly Crabbe and Goyle's dates came back and pulled them away, making them disappear into the crowd. Then Professor McGonagall walked up to Viktor, telling him that he needed to talk to The Daily Prophet about the tournament. But she didn't look too pleased, considering it was Rita Skeeter. They walked away, leaving the two alone.

Draco and Hermione stood awkwardly, not saying a word. "_How did it come to just us?_" They both wondered.

Finally Hermione turned toward Draco, taking him by surprise. "Look Malfoy. Viktor will probably want to be around you Slytherins the whole night. And me being his date, I will be with him, meaning we will be seeing each other."

"So?" Draco drawled, not seeing where she was going with this.

"Can we please be civil tonight? Which means no insulting, no name calling, and certainly no making fun. Tonight we forget who we are, and then we will go back to hating each other tomorrow. Alright?"

Draco thought for a minute before replying, "Fine by me." She nodded, actually glad she wouldn't have to take the "m" word during such a lovely evening. "And besides," he continued. "these dress robes are too nice to be burned or singed, seeming as though that's where we usually end our quarrels."

Hermione chuckled, but then realized what she did. She actually thought something he said was funny. But then again, they were supposed to get along during the night. So, it was a good thing?

"So, how is your night going so far?" Hermione asked, attempting small talk.

Draco rolled his eyes, the umpteenth time that evening. "Oh, splendid! With Pansy hanging on my arm, dragging me down one moment and the next she's hugging me with all of her might…it's going perfectly." He said sarcastically.

Hermione smirked. "Sounds like it." Then she smiled mischievously. "Perhaps you deserve it?"

Draco raised an eyebrow. "Isn't that going against your 'no insulting' rule?"

She put her hands up mock defensively. "I didn't insult you directly."

He smirked. "Fine, you were _border lining_ it."

She looked to the side and nodded, admitting her defeat. "Alright, it was. I guess it was just a force of habit."

Draco nodded in agreement. "I know what you mean. I won't deny it's strange to have a normal conversation with you."

Hermione eyebrows rose. "Exactly, it's like you're reading my mind!" Draco chuckled at this, but it came and gone and then it left them in another awkward silence.

Then a subject popped into Hermione's head. "I noticed you aren't on the Quidditch team this year." Draco looked at her, surprise in his eyes.

"Keeping tabs on me, are you Granger?" He questioned, where she just waved him off.

"I'm _observant_, not a stalker." She corrected. "Which brings me back to what I was saying; why not?"

Draco, his hands in his pockets, just shrugged. "Eh, I'm not really into it as much as I thought I was. You know, back in second year."

Hermione nodded. "Yes, I remember." After a second, she sighed and confessed, "Since we're being _nice_ and all tonight, I'll admit that you were a decent seeker."

He chuckled. "Gee, thanks."

She rolled her eyes. "That's not what I meant. You were actually…pretty fantastic." She looked away then, pretending to admire the decorations once again. What she didn't see was Draco look at her, the ghost of a smile on his lips. But it faded right when she turned her head again. "Well, all except that nasty fall you took in the beginning of the year."

Draco smirked. "There's the Granger I know." She rolled her eyes again, but this time with humor in her expression.

They continued to make small talk, which lasted about fifteen minutes. Then Hermione looked around. "Where is Viktor? He said the interview would last about ten minutes."

"Dunno." Draco responded, looking around as well. "The same with Crabbe and Goyle. I'm surprised they lasted this long on the dance floor."

Hermione smirked in agreement before spotting Krum. He was still in front of the camera, Rita talking to him with her magic quill writing things down by itself.

"Well, knowing that _dreadful_ woman, he'll be with her practically all night." Hermione commented, her eyes still on her date. "So much for spending the evening with him." She said softly, looking ahead of her at the dancing couples.

Draco looked to the side as an idea entered his mind. No, there's no way he'd _ever_ do that. So what if they were being civil for the night, that would be crossing the line.

Still, Draco thought as he glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. He felt sorry for her, standing there all alone. A girl _that_ stunning shouldn't be without a date, as Hermione was now.

Suddenly a smirk appeared on his face. Since he was such a _good_ guy, he figured he'd do her one favor. The only one he'd ever do for a mu-never mind.

He held out his hand to her. She didn't notice at first, but upon seeing it she froze. Her eyes darted between his outstretched hand and his eyes, confusion filling the brown orbs.

"Come on Granger. Don't make me say it." Draco said, raising his eyebrows.

"I-I don't know." She said, staring at his fingers.

"Granger," he said, coming closer. "It's only a dance, it's not like we'd be committing a crime."

She, slowly, raised her hand and put it in his. He smirked at her touch and held her gently, leading her to the dance floor. The song was a pretty much a slow song, only with a beat to it.

They got there and she stood for a moment, not sure of what to do. He chuckled and grasped her hands, placing one on his shoulder and the other in his left hand. He put his right hand on her slim waist, only noticing then how soft the fabric of her dress was.

She just looked at him as they swayed softly to the music, hesitation practically written on her forehead.

"This is…strange." She admitted, her eyebrows slightly scrunched together. "Are you sure we should be doing this?"

He smirked and spun her around, silencing her. "Granger, just enjoy it. You should feel lucky to be this close to me."

She rolled her eyes, becoming more relaxed by the minute. "Yes, I'm _so _lucky Malfoy."

He chuckled and said, "So, I have to say I'm surprised."

"What about?" Hermione asked, cocking her head to the side.

"You, coming here with Viktor Krum." He said matter-of-factly. "I expected you to be on the arm of Weasley or worse, Potter."

Hermione nodded. "It would seem that way, wouldn't it?" She looked over her shoulder at the two boys, sitting at a table on the other side of the room.

This interested Draco, the longing look Hermione directed at Ron. He was about to ask, but decided against it.

She suddenly turned around, meeting his gaze again. "Well, what about you?"

"What about me?" He asked, not sure of what she was asking exactly.

"You came here with Pansy Parkinson, yet you described your evening as being horrible with her."

He shook his head. "Now you're just putting words into my mouth. I _never_ said the word horrible."

"It was in context." She said, causing him to roll his eyes yet _again_.

"Fine, yes it was going pretty horribly-"

"_Was_?" Hermione interrupted, realizing his mistake. This stopped him for a moment, but he continued on, ignoring her.

"But that's just Pansy. She's annoying and irritating, all the time."

Hermione scrunched her eyebrows together. "So why even bother taking her? I mean, it seems pretty pointless to come with someone you _know _you'll have a bad time with."

Draco nodded. "Yeah, but it's…complicated."

"Complicated." Hermione repeated. Then her eyes brightened, eyebrows rising in question. "Do you love her?"

Draco's eyes went wide. "Merlin, no! I don't even like her!"

Hermione laughed at his outburst. "Calm down, it was only a question! Don't get your knickers in a twist."

He narrowed his eyes at her, but not in a mean way. "Well, how about you then? Do you love Weasley?"

Now it was Hermione's turn for her eyes to grow wide. "What? What would make you think that?"

Draco chuckled. "I saw the way you looked at him earlier."

Hermione closed her eyes for a moment, thinking of what to say. Finally she opened them again, looking at him. This took him by surprise. He was becoming mesmerized by the dark brown in them, yet he knew he shouldn't be.

"No, I don't _love_ him." Hermione admitted, swallowing nervously.

"But you like him?" It was more of a statement than anything.

She sighed, but then smirked. "It's _complicated_." She mimicked Draco, causing him to smirk as well.

"Fair enough." He chuckled, spinning her around again.

When she came back to him, her eyes were amused. "Since when do you dance like _this_, Malfoy?"

"There are a lot of things you don't know about me, Granger." Draco said, his hand moving slightly on her waist.

"And vice versa." She said cleverly.

They were silent after that, but, even though they wouldn't admit it for anything, it was a comfortable silence. And it was nice. Draco noticed how well she fit into his arms, and how it actually felt good to have her there. Like it was meant to be…

He then mentally shook his head. No, he couldn't be having _those_ kind of thoughts about Hermione. After that night they would hate one another again, so why even bother? But even as he told himself that over and over again, he couldn't shake the urge to press his lips to hers passionately, closing the little space between them.

Her, on the other hand, was feeling the same things he was. Looking into his eyes, she finally saw what a brilliant shade of blue and silver mixed together they were. She felt she could look into them for hours, and was regretting the moment they part ways.

Now it was her turn to mentally shake her head. Maybe this wasn't a good idea from the start. But the longer they glided across the dance floor, the tighter they held onto each other. They never wanted the dance to end.

Slowly the song was coming to an end, and they stopped moving altogether. But neither one moved; they stayed in each other's arms, just staring at each other.

Finally what snapped them out of their trance was a tap on Hermione's shoulder. She turned around to see Viktor.

"Viktor!" she exclaimed, letting out a breath she didn't know she was holding. "You finished the interview, I see."

He nodded at her, showing a small smile, before turning his attention toward the blond-haired Malfoy standing only two feet away. "I'm afraid I'm going to have to take my date back now." But he said it good-heartedly, almost as a joke.

"Oh, of course." Draco looked down and realized he was still holding onto Hermione's hand. He quickly let go and said, "She's all yours."

Viktor smiled before taking Hermione's hand and leading her away. She smiled at him, but before they were totally out of sight, she glanced back at Draco. He still stood in the middle of the floor, just staring after them.

After they were gone, he ran a hand through his almost white hair, feeling exasperated. Then he said to himself, "Merlin, what have I gotten myself into?"

**Yay! I've been wanting to write a new Dramione fanfic for so long! :)**

**So, as always, what did you think? I'm definitely NOT done with this yet! I will be making more chapters! Haha Wouldn't it be bad if I just ended it there? :P**

**Anyway, read&review! If I get a lot, I will update soon! :D**


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